Document processing facilities often use high speed document processing machines such as sorters, to sort and direct mail items appropriately to one or more mail bins for distribution. Various types or stages of processing may occur during sorting of the mail items as they are transported at high speeds along a transport path of the sorter via a system of mechanized pulleys, levers and rollers. Such processes may include, but are not limited to imaging of each mail item at various moments of transport, interpretation of address components (e.g., recipient addresses, ZIP codes, barcodes) based on the image as marked upon the mail items for enabling association of each mail item with a sort scheme, printing upon the mail item, application of labels, opening or cutting of the mail item, etc. Generally, these processes are coordinated by one or more computers operating in connection with the sorter. In a multi-sorter environment, where a mailing is distributed for processing amongst multiple sorters, a server may act as a central administrator of sorter activity—i.e., facilitating data exchange, managing job scheduling and processing, coordinating sort schemes amongst sorter devices, etc.
The common goal of any sort operation is to arrange a plurality of disparate mail items into mail groups that conform to postal authority standards. Generally, the postal grouping to which a mail item belongs is based on the delivery point identifiers indicated upon the mail item, such as the ZIP Code designation, address data, etc. Other factors regarding the mail item, such as weight class or postage application may further affect how it is classified by the postal authority and hence delivered via the postal network. Regardless of classification, however, a single postal grouping may include mail items possessing a plurality of delivery point identifiers or only one (e.g., one or more ZIP Code designations). Sort processing of disparate mail items into mail groupings associated by common postal authority recognized delivery point identifiers leads to increased postal processing and postal authority work sharing discounts.
Quite often, mail processing tasks must be distributed across multiple document processing devices, and in some instances, multiple differing mail processing environments entirely. For instance, a mailing may be created and originated by an inserting environment of a customer, but subsequently sort processed for mailing via the postal authority on behalf of that customer by a pre-sort bureau or other sort processing vendor. Alternatively, differing sort processing environments may share or co-mingle their mailings in an effort to produce maximum work sharing discount incentives for the participating parties. So, for example, a first sort processing environment may provide mail having certain delivery point identifiers upon it that increase the mail volume of a second sort processing environment, enabling said second sort processing environment to generate greater discounts, and vice versa. Regardless of the arrangement, where multiple different environments are employed to process a mailing, a receiving mail processing environment must be able to validate the mail it receives from the sending environment. Furthermore, supporting mail documentation must accurately account for each mail item shared, while providing a clear point-of-origination and accountability of mail items processed or missing.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and system for mail item processing, and particularly, a method and system for validating mail items received from a prior mail processing device or environment.